Dana White believes people are underestimating how tough an opponent Taila Santos is for Valentina Shevchenko
UFC president Dana White believes fans are writing off Taila Santos too quickly ahead of her flyweight title fight against Valentina Shevchenko. White praised Santos' ability and suggested that UFC 275 could mark one of Shevchenko's toughest tests in the octagon.
The 52-year-old is also worried about the rest of the division. White admitted that he thinks the fight will be a close contest, but if 'Bullet' walks past Santos with ease, there's nothing she can't do.
Speaking on The Spinnin' Backfist Show, Dana White previewed the UFC 275 card and asked fans not to underestimate Taila Santos.
"I don't think people really appreciate how tough of a fight this is going to be for Valentina [Shevchenko]. And if it's not, Holy sh*t."
Taila Santos (19-1) has an impressive resume. The 29-year-old has 13 finishes in her career, 11 of which came in the first round before signing for the UFC. Santos' only blemish on an otherwise perfect record was her UFC debut in 2019, which she lost via split decision.
Since then, Santos has built a four-fight win streak and finds herself fighting for the UFC title for the very first time. Standing in her way, however, is the record-setting Valentina Shevchenko. The 34-year-old holds the records for most title defenses (6), most finishes (4) and most consecutive wins (8) in the women's flyweight division.
Watch Dana White discuss Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos here:
Taila Santos believes Valentina Shevchenko has flaws in her game
Ahead of the biggest fight of her career, Taila Santos believes she has identified flaws in the game of women's flyweight champion Shevchenko.
During the UFC 275 Countdown video, Santos expressed self-belief that she'll win the fight, whilst also pointing out that that she'll expose the holes in Shevchenko's standup and ground game.
The 29-year-old contender said:
"Valentina, she's not unbeatable. I've seen some flaws on the ground, in her striking too. She's the champion, right? Until we fight."
@BulletValentina 
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of War🩸" #ValentinaShevchenko
👸 @BulletValentina 🆚 #4 @TailasantosUfc #UFC275
"The Art 🎨 of War🩸" #ValentinaShevchenko
video: youtu.be/Ikkgi1c0p3w 🔥 https://t.co/BEWfTNpzKK
Valentina Shevchenko has finished two of her last three fights via TKO and will be looking to extend her women's flyweight reign to seven defenses.
The bout is the biggest of Taila Santos' career. The Brazilian will look to become the champion for the first time and extend her unbeaten run to five. A victory over Shevchenko would shake up not only their division, but the MMA community.
Watch Taila Santos discuss her upcoming title fight here: